How we (don’t) read online

- Reading online isn't the same as reading a book.…When we're reading website content,…it's normally for research rather than entertainment.…That means we scan rather than reading every word.…We're following the scent of information,…getting a feeling for whether the content we're reading…will help meet our goals,…and moving on if that feeling is missing.…Even though individuals aren't reading all your content,…you still need to provide all the facts…because different people have different research goals…and you won't know what exact details it is that they need.…

But the text should be relevant, factual, and brief.…Marketing words don't help.…They just get in the way of scanning…and make people more likely to skip a paragraph or a page.…Using eye tracking technology,…we can see where people look on the page.…Here's an example heat map…produced by noting the places that people's eyes rested.…Hotter colors like red and yellow,…mean more time spent in those areas.…Colder colors like blue and green mean less time.…

Resume Transcript Auto-Scroll

Author

Released

1/25/2018

While user behavior may often seem random, there are psychological reasons behind the choices individuals make as they navigate a user interface. In this course, learn about the psychological reasons why good UI design works, so that you can build websites and apps that work the way your users think. Instructor Chris Nodder helps you get started by discussing how brains work, and how to design around the limitations of the human brain. He also explains how to use perception principles to enhance the flow of your UI; leverage physical concepts to create a more intuitive UI; and smooth out your workflow. To wrap up the course, he explains how to fix small annoyances and make your interface pleasant to use.